USC Trojans Midseason Report: Defense

We are halfway through the 2024 season and the USC Trojans sit at 3-3 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play. It’s a disappointing record for a team that has held the lead in every fourth quarter and just hasn’t been able to make the game-winning play on three separate occasions.

After looking at some superlatives and trends through six games on the offensive side of the ball, we now focus our attention on the defensive side.

Answering the big question

How much could the USC defense improve in one offseason?

A lot. But also, not quite enough yet.

The difference in how this USC defense plays compared to last season is night and day. There have been some hiccups and crucial mistakes through six games, but NOBODY wants to go back to the 2022-2023 defensive era for the Trojans. It’s clear the Trojans have some guys who are football players and going to make key plays. It’s also clear the Trojans don’t yet have enough and don’t have them in a few critical positions.

We’re going to find out plenty more about plenty more guys as the Trojans will now finish the season without Bear Alexander, Anthony Lucas and Eric Gentry — three of the key players on that side of the ball heading into the year. The signs of progress are definitely there through six games. But the cracks are there as well. USC couldn’t make several key run fits against a run-only Michigan team. They couldn’t tackle well enough against Minnesota. And they couldn’t rise up against one Penn State offensive player and two critical fourth-and-long plays. It’s become fairly safe to expect this defense to provide enough plays and stops to win games provided the USC offense is doing its part. That feels like a long way from last season.

Defensive MVP

Safety Kamari Ramsey

Linebacker Eric Gentry was cruising here through the third quarter of the Wisconsin game and then a concussion derailed all of that. But safety Kamari Ramsey has done plenty through six games to earn this. He is tied for third on the team with 30 tackles — 21 of them solo — is second with 3.5 tackles for loss and has one of the team’s six sacks. He’s also forced a team-best two tackles and is tied for the team lead with three pass breakups. One of those was almost a game-saving/winning play on third-down late in the game against Penn State. Ramsey has been a steady leader for the team and he’s been a versatile part of the defense with his ability to play inside the box and in the slot. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn was the biggest offseason pickup from UCLA, but Ramsey moving across town has been huge for the USC defense.

Most Improved

Cornerback Jaylin Smith

Smith played his best game of the 2023 season in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville and he hasn’t looked back. With transfer portal additions at cornerback, safety and nickel this offseason, it looked like USC had found its five starters in all new arrivals. Smith bounced around between a few different positions in the secondary before carving out a starting spot at corner with authority. Despite missing a game, he is sixth on the team in tackles and tied for third in tackles for loss. And since allowing four completions on four attempts against LSU in the opener, teams have mostly avoided throwing in his direction. He hasn’t allowed more than two receptions or 18 receiving yards in any game since. Smith has also been a terror on special teams with several tackles there as well. He’s played a ton of football at USC, but he’s developed into a true force at corner this season.

Best Performance

Individual division: Linebacker Eric Gentry vs Michigan

Team division: USC vs Utah State

Gentry was phenomenal in the loss to Michigan. He finished with 12 tackles, including three tackles for loss and a sack. Gentry made an unbelievable individual play in punching out a fumble and then jumping on it for a massive turnover. And he generally helped keep Michigan quarterback Alex Orji in check on the ground and made several big stops on third down.

For the team, a shutout is always going to resonate. And the 48-0 win against Utah State was the first shutout pitched by a USC defense since the 2011 season.

Biggest Surprise

Bear Alexander’s departure

The third-year tackle was supposed to be the rock in the middle of the Trojans’ defensive line and benefit more than anybody from the arrival of the new coaches. Alexander wasn’t able to push his way into the starting lineup but he played heavily in rotation over the first three games. That was enough for him (or his guardian, Tony Jones) to threaten sitting out and taking a redshirt season, which USC pretty clearly was fine allowing to happen. Pretty quickly, Alexander went from someone expected to continue to progress and take key snaps at defensive tackle throughout the season, to someone no longer with the program.

Intriguing Position Group

Defensive end

The loss of Anthony Lucas is a big hit for the USC defensive line and defense in general. But all year this has been a group that hasn’t seem to match potential with production. Through six games, the entire roster of defensive ends have combined for one sack and four tackles for loss. Quite obviously, that’s not enough. Now the coaches will need to work on getting more production from that group without Lucas. We saw Jamil Muhammad used a bit as a standup rusher from linebacker depth against Penn State. We’ll see if Devan Thompkins spends much time on the edge after playing largely in the middle to this point. Second-year player Sam Greene has seen his snaps tick up of late and now true freshman Kameryn Fountain could get into the mix. We called it “intriguing” in the title. You could call it “frustrating” as well. The Trojans have to figure out how to get more out of this spot.

Young Player to Watch

Linebacker Desman Stephens II

Stephens jumped the gun on this a bit when he made a big statement with an interception and some solid play against Penn State. He’ll likely find himself on the field more and more moving forward this season as USC deals with the losses of Gentry and Raesjon Davis at linebacker. There will undoubtedly be some freshman growing pains from Stephens, but he’s shown since spring ball that he has all the tools to be a great USC linebacker during his time with the Trojans.

Pick it Up

Sacks (defensive line) and interceptions (defensive backs)

Specifically, sacks from the defensive line and interceptions from the secondary. The defensive line combined has 2.5 sacks this season. The defensive backs have zero interceptions. USC hasn’t exactly played six teams that just drop back and throw it 50 times a game, but there have been enough throws against the Trojans that you’d expect bigger numbers in both of those categories.

What’s Next to Watch?

Which young players push their way onto the field?

Stephens and defensive tackle Jide Abasiri look like solid parts of the two-deep right now. Which freshmen could be next onto the field? Fountain should play against Maryland, though how much is still to be determined. Linebacker Elijah Newby has started to play consistently on special teams. Could he see the field at linebacker in the coming weeks? At cornerback, the Trojans are relying heavily on four players who have no eligibility remaining after this season. USC coaches aren’t close to turning the page to 2025 yet, but could freshmen Marcelles Williams and/or Braylon Conley see some real snaps at some point this season just to get them ready for next year?

The post USC Trojans Midseason Report: Defense appeared first on On3.